July 02, 2012

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A southwest Indiana attorney and former Democratic candidate for Gibson County prosecutor has been allowed to resign from the bar, according to an order from the Indiana Supreme Court.

William Wallace III was indicted in June 2010, after he was accused of videotaping himself having sex with a former client and an employee without their knowledge. He was accused of telling the former client that he would forgive legal fees in exchange for sex. When police executed a warrant and searched his computer, they found child pornography.

Wallace was charged with Class D felony counts of obstruction of justice, voyeurism and possession of child pornography, and misdemeanor charges of patronizing a prostitute and false informing.

In October 2011, Wallace pleaded guilty to the obstruction and child porn charges and was ordered to register as a sex offender. He was suspended from the bar three months later.

The Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission filed a verified complaint against Wallace in January 2013. The court order issued Aug. 14 accepts his resignation, which under Discipline Rule 23(17) requires an acknowledgment from Wallace that the material facts alleged are true, that he couldn’t successfully defend the disciplinary case if prosecuted, and that the charges would have resulted in disbarment.

Costs of the proceeding are assessed against Wallace, who may not petition for reinstatement for five years. If he does, he would face the most stringent burden for reinstatement and the allegations in the disciplinary complaint also would be addressed, according to the order.

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Dave Stafford joined the staff of the Indiana Lawyer as a reporter in May 2012 and was named editor in October 2017. An award-winning print journalist for more than 30 years, Stafford has worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers including the Herald Bulletin in Anderson, Indiana, the News-Journal in Daytona Beach, Florida, and the Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia. He and his wife, Denise, live in their hometown, Indianapolis.